LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Chicago Bears

  • The Bengals Battle in the Windy City

    The Bengals Battle in the Windy City

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Although the score might not have borne it out, the Cincinnati Bengals’ reserves played their tails off against the Chicago Bears starters on Saturday. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was riding high ready to make his first start in front of a raucous Soldier Field crowd of 59,829 fans. But the Bengals defense held him and the explosive Chicago offense to three straight three and outs.

    The Bengals backups on defense proved so effective that Williams remained in the game well into the second quarter. He eventually showed everyone just how much of a special athlete he is, throwing a dot after an amazing scramble and then running for a spectacular touchdown of his own.

    There’s no doubt that Williams has all of the potential in the world to be a superstar in this league, but Bengals fans should take a lot of pride in the way that their team contained the rookie and the rest of the Bears offense in the first half. Especially considering that after starting their backups, towards the middle/end of the game Cincinnati was putting players on the field that will likely have little chance of making the 53-man roster, which undoubtedly added to the lopsided 3 – 27  score.

    The Bengals offense, on the other hand, really felt the absence of its key players and struggled all day. Logan Woodside looked good at times but held on to the football a bit too long on two plays and took some massive hits, one of which led to a floating interception for the Bears. Woodside finished 17-25 with 132 yards and 2 interceptions. The running game also struggled to get going, finishing with 82 total yards at just 3.3 yards per carry. Perhaps the biggest worry for the Bengals was their 11 penalties for a staggering 123 yards, but there is still plenty of time to work those issues out before week 1 on September 8 at Paycor with the New England Patriots.

    In the end this was a game where the first half told the true tale of the depth and effectiveness of this team, especially on defense. The fact that our backups held an explosive offense like the Bears in check for so much of this game is something to be celebrated. Maema Njongmeta lead the defense once again with 8 total tackles as well as 1 tackle for loss. Bengals rookie Kris Jenkins had a great bull rush that led to a sack, in a great bounce-back game after he had a difficult time last week against Tampa Bay.

    Another bright spot was Evan McPherson, who hit a 54-yard field goal and made it look silky smooth. The Bengals reached an extension with their clutch kicker to the tune of 3 years and $16.5 million. McPherson made it look like he was worth every penny on Saturday and having such a clutch kicker will no doubt pay dividends this year.

    Some other interesting notes in this one: Jermaine Burton had 1 catch for 19 yards. Trayveon Williams did run hard and also had 2 catches out of the backfield for 19 yards of his own. Williams looks poised to lock up the third running back spot as well. And after numerous injuries and setbacks in college, rookie tight end Erick All had his first reception today, hopefully the first of many for a kid who has worked so hard to get back to football action.

    An important rule for preseason football games is not get too excited about wins, and just as important to not rush to the gloom and doom after a loss. There was plenty that did not go to plan on Saturday that the Bengals can fix. At the same time, it would be beyond foolish to draw any sort of condemnation of the team after their starters all took the day off, and their backups (at least on defense) looked up to the task. The key is to make it through with as few injuries as possible, learn from mistakes, and prepare for week 1 against the Patriots. And the Bengals checked all those boxes today.

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    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • With the first pick secured, the Bengals will go Burrow, right?

    With the first pick secured, the Bengals will go Burrow, right?

    Willie Lutz is a former Loveland resident, a graduate of Loveland High School, and former sportswriter for Loveland Magazine

    by Willie Lutz

    Those who endured the 12-minute run from the Bengals, who looked lifeless in Miami, down 23 points on a day many at home hoped to be the final loss on one of the worst seasons of the last decade in Cincinnati, despite eight losses being within one possession. 

    After a 35-38 overtime loss at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the Cincinnati Bengals secured the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, a pick that should bring a new franchise centerpiece, Joe Burrow. LSU’s Heisman-winning quarterback won the nation’s collective hearts with a dazzling senior season, finishing with 4,715 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, completed 77.9% of passes, and averaged 10.7 yards per attempt. With only 6 interceptions and without a loss on his Tigers’ resume, he represents the nation’s top seed in the College Football Playoff as the nation’s best player.

    If the jungle kittens don’t win next Sunday…

    If the jungle kittens don’t win next Sunday against Cleveland, they’ll have the worst record of any Bengals team ever, though a win would tie the team with the Jon Kitna-led 2002 team who finished 2-14. That finish put Cincinnati in place to draft Heisman winner Carson Palmer with the top pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

    Certainly, a narrative exists in which the Andy Dalton-led Cincinnati Bengals crush the messy Cleveland Browns in a fitting end to the 2019 season. It’ll likely be Dalton’s last game in a striped helmet and the Browns are about to wrap up one of the most embarrassing seasons of NFL football in recent memory. As we learned on Sunday against the Dolphins, Dalton is here to win; he passed for 396 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and completed 33-of-56 passes, nearly leading the team to the biggest comeback victory in team history. 

    It’ll likely be Dalton’s last game in a striped helmet and the Browns are about to wrap up one of the most embarrassing seasons of NFL football in recent memory.

    Dalton will want to impress the potentially red-hot quarterback market, as many teams seem ready to move a different direction with their passers. Teams like the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are among teams that may make a change at QB in the coming months. Potentially, Dalton could head to one of those teams in a favorable trade for the Bengals, as a move could net the team a second or third-round pick if Andy continues to impress against the Browns. 

    For Cincinnati, loss to Miami made a few things pretty clear; Joe Burrow is obviously the pick at the top of the draft and that this team needs to add more good players to the roster this offseason. 

    There is obviously bound to be plenty of pressure from a central Ohio-minded fanbase to go with Burrow’s teammate and practice opponent at Ohio State in DE Chase Young. There probably won’t be as much pressure to draft QB Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama, as the 21-year-old quarterback will enter the league with a cumbersome injury resume. 

    It’s amazing to hear so many college-aged people rave not about the player, but about the human being.

    Having graduated from Ohio State in 2019 and thus meeting a handful of people who are friends or former classmates with Burrow, it’s amazing to hear so many college-aged people rave not about the player, but about the human being. What some knew before but many learned during his incredibly touching Heisman speech, Joe Burrow has the heart of a leader and the poise of a title fighter, essentially the intangibles you’d dream of in a franchise quarterback.

    I’d recommend throwing a couple bucks for this awesome Facebook fundraiser called, “Joe Burrow’s Heisman speech: Fundraiser for Athens County Food Pantry” if you’re feeling inspired by the passer and in the spirit. 

    Before the season, I think like many people, I thought Dwyane Haskins had a higher upside and was probably a better player than Joe Burrow; it’s impossible for me to feel that way after everything I’ve seen from the senior passer’s closing season at LSU. 

    Burrow does everything you’d hope from a young quarterback all before NFL refinement.

    Navigating the pocket like a pro and keeping his eyes on a level plane while reading the defense, Burrow does everything you’d hope from a young quarterback all before NFL refinement. In Cincinnati, he’ll have the chance to work with Zac Taylor and Brian Callahan, two coaches with backgrounds as quarterback coaches from their earlier days in the NFL (of course both are under 40, so those earlier days aren’t exactly ancient). 

    “New Dey” promise

    When Cincinnati comes to the blatant conclusion that they’ll take Burrow at the top of the draft and set this franchise on a brand-new trajectory, it’ll finally deliver on the “New Dey” promise that became apart of the team’s marketing pitch following Zac Taylor’s hire. As many know by now, Burrow is an Ohio kid and a willing leader; he’s more personable than Palmer ever was and doesn’t bring any baggage to a lockerroom currently loaded with likable personalities.

    If this team drifts from Joe Burrow, they’re making a mistake that the 6’3” passer will certainly find a way to make them regret in years down the road.

    If this team drifts from Joe Burrow, they’re making a mistake that the 6’3” passer will certainly find a way to make them regret in years down the road. Sure, Ohio State when got lucky when Justin Fields decided to join the Buckeyes via transfer, filling the gap left by the Burrow departure in 2018, but even they might feel the brunt of that move if they advance to the National Championship game. In the NFL, Burrow will have the chance to make the Bengals pay once every four years, at the most minimal rate.

    The pick seems obvious to this sports-watcher, draft Joe Burrow and call it a day; it’ll give your team one of the best chances in its history to construct a contending roster. However, like many others, I think this is all just preaching to a Bengals-based choir, one including Duke Tobin, Troy, and Katie Blackburn.

    It’s winter in Cincinnati, but the sun is shining on Paul…